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A few posts back, I whined about the lack of good restaurants in northern Carrollton. There was a suggestion for Mena’s Tex-Mex Grill (Trinity Mills at Marsh) in the comments, which is actually closer to where I live now. Either way, I have yet to find a Tex-Mex restaurant that I really enjoy in the area, so I decided to give Mena’s a shot.

Mena’s is located in the old Tom Thumb shopping center and was about half full at 7:30pm on a Thursday night. The decor is festive and not tacky: rustic wooden chairs, warm yellow walls, tile floors with handpainted Mexican tile in-lays, etc. A sign by the hostess podium advertises the daily specials, which for our visit was grilled ribeye and enchiladas suizas.

Upon seating, we were immediately presented with greaseless, thin, and crunchy tortilla chips with fresh and spicy salsa. Mena’s salsa ranks up there as one of my favorite non-smoky salsas, the freshness of the cilantro and tomatoes combined with the bite of the finely chopped jalapenos made for a pleasant meal starter. So far so good.

For dinner, I went with brisket tacos ($8.95) and my companion chose the grilled ribeye, one of the daily specials ($12.95).

Brisket Tacos:

The menu describes these as chipotle brisket tacos, but the flavor of the chipotle sauce wasn’t obvious. The brisket was tender and juicy and the grilled onions and bell peppers made for a pleasant texture contrast in each bite. Overall, a solid brisket taco, but not as good as my favorites from Luna de Noche. My favorite item off of this plate is actually the bean soup, flavored with smokey chunks of bacon and ham, similar to the beans from Carboncito’s in Playa del Carmen. I also enjoyed the fresh and crisp avocado salad (no filler shredded iceberg here) and the moist Mexican rice.

Grilled Ribeye Special:

The grilled ribeye is a huge dish. Next time we’ll probably be splitting this since it is more than enough to feed two people. The huge steak came sizzling and topped with cheese, grilled onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms. Then there are the standard toppers, pico de gallo, guacamole, and lettuce. Then there’s the rice, bean soup, and tortillas. It was a huge spread, my companion only managed to polish off about half of it. The steak was tender and cooked to medium doneness as requested. In my opinion it could’ve used a squeeze of lime, either in the marinade or just before the toppers were placed on. A good steak, nonetheless.

I wish I had room to try the flan or the sopapilla, but we were both stuffed. The service at Mena’s is extra attentive and we’ll definitely be back. If you live in the area (Carrollton/far north Dallas), I’d definitely give the place a try.